For the uninitiated, MCE provides DVR and other multimedia features wrapped in an attractive 10-foot interface. Armed with a couch and a remote, you can record TV shows, pause live TV, view photo slideshows, listen to your music collection, tune in FM radio stations, and so on.

I am unabashedly in love with MCE. It's the one Microsoft product I consider just about perfect, which is why it's the heart of my home entertainment system.

With these eight plugs-ins, most of which are free, you can trick out your MCE PC like never before.

Designed specifically for MCE 2005, MCE Customizer lets you tweak the OS to your heart's content. You can change the skip-forward and skip-back intervals; raise or lower TV-recording "padding"; choose different file names for recordings; hide or show Start Menu items; adjust the schedule for program-guide downloads; and much more. Those who like to tweak will find this an essential plug-in. I just wish the developer had provided some instructions, as some of the settings aren't self-explanatory.

Regular visitors to My MSN or My Yahoo know all about portals: They're sites that aggregate personalized news, weather, RSS feeds, and other information. MCE Portal brings this idea to MCE, giving you all that plus games, movie times, restaurant listings, even a daily horoscope. You have to use the developer's web site to add RSS feeds—kind of a hassle—but otherwise this is pure portal gold.

Sure, you could just stick your head out the window, but then you'd have to get off the couch. Christoph Buenger's mceWeather adds real-time weather data to the MCE interface. Just install the plug-in, navigate to the More Programs screen, and select Weather. After you choose your city and preferences, you'll be able to view the current weather conditions (temperature, humidity, UV index, and so on), a 10-day forecast, and even satellite images.

Forgot to set up a recording before you left on vacation? No problem: Just head to any web-connected PC. With MSN Remote Record, you can schedule recordings from just about anywhere. You'll need a .NET Passport account, which you can get free if you don't already have one. Then head to your Media Center's Online Spotlight section and select MSN Remote Record Service. Follow the instructions to configure everything. When all that's done, find another PC and surf to MSN TV. Sign in and you'll be able to schedule recordings. I've even seen people do this from a Pocket PC!

Every time you insert a DVD movie, My Movies 2 indexes it. It downloads a description, cover art, actor info, MPAA rating, and all that good stuff. But even better than that, the plug-in can automatically rip movies to your hard drive (though you need a decrypter like AnyDVD or DVD43). This is outstanding for my kids, as they can pick any movie to watch just by sifting through the covers—and never actually have to touch (or scratch beyond repair) a DVD. Anyone who appreciated Adam's recent DVD-ripping tutorial will appreciate this MCE alternative.

You can use Windows Media Player to copy recorded TV shows and movies to a portable device, but the process is kludgy and largely undocumented. What's more, you can't do it from the couch. Proxure's MyTV ToGo (which was recently acquired by Roxio; a new version is imminent) makes it a snap, enabling you to copy recorded content to an iPod, PSP, Pocket PC or Windows Mobile smartphone. You choose one of four available playback-quality settings; it handles all the necessary conversions. MyTV ToGo costs $30; in my opinion, it's worth every penny.

With TVTonic, you can subscribe to nearly any video podcast. The plug-in comes with a wealth of preprogrammed "channels" to get you started, including some exclusive content. CartoonCow, for instance, plays classic cartoons, while AP-associated The News provides full-screen news clips. It's a little weird the way TVTonic downloads video to your PC instead of streaming it, but I guess that's how it's able to provide silky-smooth full-screen video. This thing is a TV junkie's dream come true. And it's free. Free!